Last Chance
by redgold333
Summary: Takes place after Clockwork Prince, my version of Clockwork Princess. Will be a very long, beautiful, narrative story. Read it, you won't regret it.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- Hey everyone! This is my first fanfiction so please be patient, criticism is very appreciated, I'll try to answer any questions you might have, so please review to let me know how I'm doing, unlike a normal book, you can actually have some input in the plot because I'm very open to suggestions. Also, this story takes place after the end of ****_Clockwork Prince_****, everything is the same, Cecily came to the Institute, Mortmain has not yet been caught, Jem proposed to Tessa, she said yes, Will found out the curse isn't real, Gideon is living in the Instute, Jessamine is locked up in the City of Bones and Henry and Charlotte are pregnant with a baby boy! The only thing that is different is that Jem and Tessa haven't announced their engagement yet, only they and Will know. Just wanted to let you know that school holidays have started but it's almost Christmas so the posts might not be very regular, but I will try to keep it updated as often as I can. Merry Christmas and Happy Reading!**

Last Chance

Will still wasn't used to seeing his little sister, Cecily, in Shadowhunter gear. Not even now, after all this time had passed and so many things had happened. Everything had turned out for the best, well, mostly.  
Charlotte and Henry got to keep the Institute and, as much as he wished she handn't, Cecily joined the group and was now in training to be a Shadowhunter, just as she'd wanted. The plus side was that Will now had contact with his beloved sister, but he hadn't wanted it to be this way, he didn't want her to be part of this cruel, dangerous world, a world in which love didn't come without consequences, if it were even allowed to be felt at all. Will had spent five years of his life pushing everyone away, building walls around himself in a seemingly endless persuit to keep anyone from loving him, for fear of their demise, due to a curse placed on him by a demon. When it had turned out that there had been no curse at all, Will had spared no time in confessing his love to the most beautiful, intelligent, funny and surprising girl he had, and would ever meet, Theresa Gray. But as it turned out, his best friend and _parabatai _Jem, had gotten there first. Will couldn't blame him, he handn't known that Tessa's face was the only face that Will could ever want to look at, that she was his reason for existing, the only reason, in fact, that he wasn't passed out drunk at a pub somewhere, for real this time.

Now, Will stood in the weapon's room, trying to teach his sarcastic and hard-headed but wonderful sister how to throw a blade, while next to him, Gideon was dancing around Sophie, trying to teach her how to land good kicks. And then there were Jem and Tessa, on the opposite end of the room, Tessa attempting to hit a target with several different types of blades while Jem stood behind her, throwing out instructions. Will watched Tessa, unaware of anything but her, he watched the dent that formed between her eyebrows when she concentrated, the smooth movements of her arms and legs, her long fingers as they released blade after blade, the soft, hidden delight in her features when they hit the centre of the target-

"WILLIAM OWEN HERONDALE!", it was Cecily. Will tore his eyes away from Jem's hand on Tessa's back as he congratulated her, to look at his sister. It was true what people said, that the two of them looked alike. They had the exact same shade of dark hair, the same smooth complexion, the same full lips, although her's were more naturally red, the same high, strong cheekbones, they were even both taller than average. But the physical similarities couldn't compete with their personalities, for every sarcastic remark, the other had one to battle, the same smirk upon their lips, the way that neither would give up first in a verbal debate, maybe that was why they got on each other's nerves so much, they were both equally stubborn, but that came in handy sometimes. He admired her for all the questions she asked and for having befriended everyone in the household, even Charlotte and Henry acted like she'd been there from the start, Charlotte taking on the same motherly affection with her that she had with everyone else. Even after all the times that he and Cecily had stormed off on each other, he couldn't deny that he loved her with every bone in his body and would take a million curses to protect her. She would always be his little sister, even now while she was yelling at him for something or other.

"-You're meant to be training me, but all you do is tune out and think about Raziel knows what! Gideon and Jem are actually teaching something when-"

"Maybe that's because Sophie and Tessa don't miss the targets by five feet and then demand that their instructors stay put and watch them miss every one by an extra foot!"

"If you were a better instructor then I wouldn't be missing it in the _first _place!"

Sophie, Gideon, Tessa and Jem had stopped and were now watching the two throw insults at each other as if it were some sort of funny play.

"If I throw a stick will you go away?"

"Oh kiss my big, hairy-"

"WILL!", a shocked gasp coming from the doorway, all six turned their heads to see, oh great, _Charlotte._ "Please don't use that language with your sister, and Cecily, you and I both know that you're purposefully antagonsing Will", Charlotte walked further into the room and once she had her back to the bickering pair, Will stuck his tongue out to his sister as if he were a six year old, while Cecily retaliated by making a rude gesture with her hand.

"Now, I've come to tell you that dinner will be in an hour, so pack up and make yourselves presentable please". She walked back out the door, with one hand on her small but noticeable baby bump.

Will followed right after Charlotte, presumably hurrying to his room while Cecily followed with an exasperated look on her face. Gideon and Sophie were next out the door, their arms almost touching, leaving Jem and Tessa alone in the training room. As soon as the others had dissapeared, Jem took Tessa by waist and kissed her, it was a short kiss, but an impossibly sweet one. Tessa looked into her fiancee's eyes, they were silver but glowing, presumably because Jem had taken the drug before the training session. She looked into his eyes, as he looked into hers, she had a feeling that Jem was seeing right through her, as he always did. Tessa loved Jem, she truly did, and she was going to marry him. She couldn't be happier about the fact, although whenever she thought of it, Will's face appeared in her mind, the way he looked when she had told him that she would be marrying his _parabatai_. Following Will's wishes, Tessa hadn't told Jem about that incident, figuring it wouldn't do to let her soon-to-be husband know about his best friend's love for his future wife.  
Tessa placed her head on Jem's shoulder, feeling him sigh against her neck, sending shivers down her back.  
She reached up to kiss him on the cheek, "We'll be late for dinner, I need to get ready". With this, she turned and began to walk out but he tightened his hold on her hand and gently pulled her back.

"Wait just a moment, I wanted to talk to you about something, I was thinking we should announce our engagement tonight", Tessa couldn't help but smile at the way that his face lit up whenever he talked about their engagement. This was her best friend, the kind, gentle, happy, caring person whom she was going to marry. Tessa though about his question, Will already knew, and since things were settling down, it wouldn't hurt anyone to be able to hold hands in public.

"Yes, of course we can", at that, Jem buried his face into the crook of her neck. Tessa swore she could feel him smiling.

"Alright, let me walk you to your room"

All the way to her room, Tessa half leaned her head against Jem as they walked, listening to his gentle voice and subtly funny remarks. She had one arm snaked around his side, and one hand on his chest, while his was around her shoulder, holding her. The only reason they were being so blatant in the Institute's vast corridors was because Tessa knew everyone was getting ready for dinner. Tessa was getting lost in Jem's voice and almost missed the flash of black hair dissapearing around the end of the corridor, a shadow, a trick of the light. She didn't realise when her door came into view and saw Jem's hand reach out for the doorknob and open her door for her. He pecked her on the cheek, whispered his love for her and left, leaving the shadow of his hand against the small of Tessa's back behind.

Tessa walked inside her room and turned to face the heavily framed, floor lenght mirror on her wall. _We are announcing our engagement, I should do well to look nice tonight. _

Will sat in the middle of his bed, staring at the door he had just slammed behind himself. His eyes saw his room, it was pretty neat today, all the papers had been stacked on his wooden dresser and his clothes lay somewhat folded in a trunk at the foot of his bed, but his mind kept replaying the scene he had witnessed mere moments ago.  
Jem and Tessa walking down the corridor, with not a care in the world, laughing together, entiwined within each other like a honeymooning couple, so close that you couldn't see where one ended and the other began. This image stole over all others like slowly spreading poison, blurring his vision, blurring the line between what was real and what wasn't. Will should be that person, the person Tessa would lean against, the person holding her as if he never wanted to let her go. This new scene scored itself in his mind, him and Tessa walking down the corridors just as she and Jem were. He ached for her touch, he wanted to pull the pins out of her thick brown hair and kiss her just like the night at that party, before Magnus had interrupted. But of course, then, they had been intoxicated with warlock powder. What he would give for once more touch, one more kiss. But it couldn't happen. Will loved Jem like a brother, and would never do anything to hurt him like this. In fact, he had noticed a significant change in Jem since Tessa. He had been taking less of the drug, but surprisingly had more strenght, he almost never fell ill now, and Will couldn't possibly take that away from him. Tessa was _healing _him, he wanted his _parabatai_ to be healthy and happy almost more than he wanted Tessa.  
But never mind that, Will stood in one fluid move, composing himself, and praying that Jem and Tessa wouldn't be out in the corridors again.

Jem sat in the seat next to Will, on Will's other side, Cecily was sitting, smiling down at her nails, next to her, Gideon, in his signature pose, leaning back with his shoulders relaxed and his arms crossed. On Jem's other side was an empty seat, the one in which Tessa would be sitting in soon, in front of him were Charlotte and Henry, the latter being more present than usual due to the fact that the couple were suggesting five baby names a minute to each other.

"I swear, if they call their son Margeurite, I'm going to run away", Will whispered to Jem.

"I think it's pronounced Mahr-ghe-ree-th", replied Jem. He saw Will look down and shake his head in silent laughter as the door to the dining room opened, for a second, Jem could only stare.  
Tessa stood looking mildly confused, wearing a floor lenght gown that showed off her slim waist, with a bell bottom flaring out around her. She'd left her hair down but pinned a few strands off her face, the dress had a lovely neckline, round and low enough to show her princess collarbones, but maintaining modesty. Her clockwork angel lay on her chest, with a chain disappearing under the neckline of her dress. Jem knew what was at the end of that chain, it was his family ring, and with this thought brought a much happier one, _she's mine. _He couldn't believe something so beautiful was his, _my angel._ Jem, in his peripheral vision, saw Will look up and stare too, well, he wouldn't be much of a man if he didn't. Tearing his gaze from his angelic fiancee, Jem shot a look down the table, Cecily was smiling calmly up at Tessa, and Gideon was still as he had been before, seemingly lost in thought. Charlotte and Henry were still announcing that their baby would be called this or that.  
Tessa made her way to the empty chair next to him, sat down, and felt Jem's hand reach for hers under the security of the table and her full skirts, meanwhile apologising for her lateness.

"That's no problem dear, in fact, here comes Sophie now". Jem saw Sophie smile at everyone while setting down a roast with green salads, pumpkin and potatoes.

Jem squeezed Tessa's hand and began raising his glass, with an exciting look towards her. "Everyone, I have some news I'd-" Jem felt Will stiffen at his side,

"Harry!", it was Henry, looking questionigly at Charlotte,

"How about Edward?", replied Charlotte,

"If we're going to go with something like Edward, I'd prefer Edmund"

"Vincent",

"Milton!",

"Edgar?",

"Harry!",

"You've already suggested that, dear", mumbled Charlotte with a sigh.

Jem looked at Tessa and rolled his eyes, Tessa shrugged at him and nodded. So Jem decided to try again, "Alright everyone, Tessa and I would like to share-",

"Charlotte have you heard anything about Mortmain lately, any new information?", wonderful, now Will was interrupting.

"Well, yes and no, there have been clues popping up here and there about his work, but none of where he might be. Now Henry, how about Ernest?"

Jem looked towards Tessa as if to say, _well, we tried_, felt an encouranging squeeze of the hand by her, and took comfort in the gentle, soft smile gracing her lovely lips.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N- Okay everyone, Thank You to my reviewers, that really meant a lot :) Herongray, brokenwings and geeRose23!**

"Will? Is that you Will?", Jem ceased to play his violin when the door to his room opened. Frosty, midnight air flew in through his open window, sending the thin, white curtains swaying. Will stepped inside Jem's room looking disheveled. He regarded Will's windblown hair, his open coat hanging off one shoulder, the white, button up shirt underneath disarrayed, the hems of his trouser leg had been worn out from walking on it too long, and his cheeks were pink and pinched by the cold. But what struck his most wasn't his clothes, it was his expression and stance. He was still stading the doorway, shoulders hunched, head down, chin almost touching his chest. His eyes were closed and he was breathing shallowly, pain etched in every line on his familiar face. The superior smirk and knowing look were missing.

Jem took Will's cold hand and brought him down to sit on the bed, the tall, dark haired boy fell on the bed as if his body weighed a ton. "Will, what is it? What's wrong?", Jem asked, hearing the panic in his own voice.

"Jem, I-", he looked as if he wanted to say something but just couldn't, it pained Jem greatly to see his dear friend in such a state.

"Go on Will, it's okay"

"No, Jem, it's not, n-nothing's okay, I-I've m-messed everything u-up", Will sounded and looked close to tears, Jem couldn't take it anymore, he hadn't seen Will this distraught since he first arrived at the Institute, just a lost little boy. Now his wide, muscular shoulders shook, his full, bottom lip quivered and his eyelashes were wet.

"Will, look at me, _look_ at me Will", Jem held his hand under his _parabatai's _chin, forcing him to look up. Will's blue eyes caught Jem's silver ones, before he crumpled and dissolved into tears. Jem let him lean on his shoulder, while holding and attempting to console him, but there was no consoling his friend. He gently moved back and lay Will down on the bed. Jem moved to close the door, then took Will's shoes and coat off. He knelt by the bed until his friend's sobs quieted down, but the tears still hadn't stopped. His cheeks were still very red, his forhead extremely hot and sweating, despite the cool crisp in the air. Jem began to get worried for his feverish friend when he started to moan and toss and turn on the bed, crumpling the sheets.

"I'll be right back Will, stay put",

"No, Jem, please don't go, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry", Jem couldn't stand it, he couldn't watch Will in so much pain,

"Will, it's okay, don't apologize you didn't do anything",

"No, but I did, please Jem you have to forgive me, I didn't know",

"Didn't know what Will?", Jem whispered close to Will's ear, trying to keep his head over the groans,

"It's hot Jem, it's too hot, too hot, please Jem", Will's voice was getting louder and his kicks more forceful,

"Okay, Will, calm down it's okay, lets get these heavy clothes off you", Jem took Will's jeans off, leaving him in nothing but blue boxers and a white undershirt.

Will was becoming more agitated by the minute, saying completely random things that made no sense. Jem opened the window further to let more air into the bedroom then took off running down the Insitute's corridors towards the kichen. Once there, Jem filled a metal bucket and a big flask with water, then, being careful not to spill any of the water, ran to the washroom to get a cloth. He began to pant on his way back to his bedroom, finding himself short of breath, but he couldn't worry about that now. Jem burst through his bedroom door to find Will, still on the bed, with his eyes shut tight, shaking his head from side to side, mumbling nonsense. He set the bucket on the floor next to his bed, which was now damp with Will's sweat. He pressed the flask to Will's mouth, forcing him to drink, Will it gratefully, but spluttered and coughed while swallowing it.

"It wasn't real, it was all for nothing", Will kept repeating this over and over in his feverish state. Jem dipped the cloth into the bucket filled with water and lay it on his head. He found himself becoming shorter and shorter for breath, and when he coughed into his sleeve, found blood. _Oh no, not now, please not now,_ Jem was getting dizzier and dizzier, to the point where he couldn't stand, his coughing becoming thicker. Through the haze, he saw pale, clammy, shaking hands holding his silver, embellished box containing his drg, _yin fen. _With not enough time to let the drug dissolve in water, he opened the box, took a pinch of the silver, ash-like substance and put it in his mouth in between fits of coughing. He was lying on his back on the floor when the coughing subsided. Jem raised himself on his knees to look at his best friend. His cheeks were still red, his forhead still sweaty, but he seemed to be asleep now. He used the cloth to wipe at Will's face, removing the dried tears, then dipped it back in the bucket and wrung it out to place it softly on his head again.

He tiredly made his way to the armchair that sat in the corner of his room, and slumped down into it's soft material. Jem couldn't believe that with a fever as high as his, Will had realised that Jem was getting sick. He had somehow found his way through his severe fever to notice his _parabatai _needed help. As much as Jem wanted to deny it, this is how it would always be between them, no matter the circumstances, Will would always be the one looking after Jem, and never the other way around.

_It was her wedding day. An unsually nice day for London. Tessa stood outside the Church's heavy, wooden doors by herself, attempting to slow her heartbeat. This was it, the day she'd been waiting for. Inside would be everyone she loved, waiting for her, including her very-soon-to-be husband. Looking down at herself, she saw the beautiful golden gown, as per Shadowhunter custom. The neckline was round and just about covered her collarbones, the short, puffy sleeves made of a see-through, shimmering golden material made her small, slim shoulders look stronger. The dress itself was floor lenght, there were no heavy skirts or corsets, just the flowing, weightless, beautiful layer hugging her in all the right places. It was golden and sparkling, she looked beautiful, she had to admit. It made her look like a lovely angel, as if wings would sprout from her back at any moment. She'd left her hair down, with no veil, but placed diamontes scattered over it, making it look as if her hair was made of diamonds. As she stood, holding flowers close to her heart, the doors opened, and there stood Sophie and Cecil, obviosly having opened the doors, gesturing with one outstreched arm each, to the altar. Not being able to bring herself to look up, she began to walk down the flower covered, white carpet, sensing people all around her. She kept her head up and chin held high, but her eyes looking down, her eyelashes bushing her cheeks. She felt weightless, as if she were floating down the aisle, rather than walking in high heels. Tessa made it to the altar, taking a deep breath. Slowly, she looked up. Wearing a trim, white suit, was her soul mate, the love of her life, Will. _

Tessa awoke quickly and opened her eyes, startled. Once again, Will had made his appearance in her dreams. She had no feelings for Will, or so she continued to tell herself. _I love Jem, I love Jem, _she chanted this in her head as she stood up and walked out her door, not bothering to change from her long nightgown. She checked to see if the corridors were clear of any people, then walked to Jem's bedroom door. _I love Jem, I love Jem, _without so much as a knock, she turned the doorknob and stepped inside. There, on Jem's bed, was Will. He was lying on his side in his undershirt and boxers, a visibly damp cloth inches from his head on the pillow. Next to him, lay Jem in his flanelette pyjamas, in the exact same position as Will. Both boys were lying on their sides with one hand under their heads and the other on their hips, their legs brought up nearly touching their chests. The white sheets which had obviously previously been on the bed, were not on the floor. Looking at the floor, Tessa also noticed a metal bucket filled with water and Jem's silver box containing his _yin fen,_ opened, lid askew. She looked back up the two boys, lying together like two young brothers, completely different, but yet the exact same. She walked to Jem's side of the bed and knelt next to him, she didn't care how improper it was, she knew something was wrong. Brushing his hair back from his forhead she whispered into his ear.

"Jem, Jem sweetheart wake up", Jem stretched and opened his eyes slowly, turning his body around to look at her.

"My, what a wonderful way to wake up, to gaze upon your lovely face, I must be the luckiest man in the world", Tessa felt her insides clench, this was what she'd always dreamed a boy would say to her. Just like in her novels, the man would be the main character, but never without a woman behind him, and she'd always wanted to be that woman.

"Good morning Jem, is everything okay?", Jem's eyes opened wider and he jerked into a sitting position, looking next to him, at Will.

"Will! Are you okay? Tessa, Will was very sick last night", Jem had a hand on Will's forhead, presumably checking his temperature, and one hand on his shoulder, lightly shaking him, while still sitting on the bed. Tessa, looking at Will, would have guessed he was sick even without Jem's statement. His face looked thin and pale, all except his cheeks which were slightly red and his forhead was clammy, hair stuck to his skin. He looked younger than usual, and more vulnerable. Jem shook Will harder, until he awoke with a groan and a stretch.

"Will how do you feel? You were extremely feverish yesterday night", Jem was calmer now that Will had woken up,

"Hmm? Oh, yes I feel much better, although I must admit the only part I remember about last night was coming into your room while you were playing your violin, what happened?", Will's voice was hoarse, and his movements tired as he sat up too.

"Well, I don't really know myself, you came in here looking like you'd been dragged on the back of a carriage, then started acting strange, at wich I realised you had a bad temperature", Will looked at Jem for a while, seemingly lost in thought, then scanned the room. His eyes fell upon the crumpled up sheets on the floor and the bucket full of water, before lifting his gaze and finally noticing Tessa. She'd been standing very quietly and motionlessly through the ordeal. When he saw her, he jumped slightly. Looking into his eyes, Tessa couldn't help but think of when he had told her he loved her. As much as she wanted to, Tessa couldn't break eye contact, and Will looked as if he couldn't either. It could have been seconds or minutes before they broke their gaze, but Jem didn't notice, he'd hopped up and walked to the other side of the bed, to close him silver box and set it carefully on the nightstand. Jem then walked to Tessa, placing a hand on the small of her back, before quickly taking it away. Tessa tore her eyes away from Will's blue ones to look at Jem's silver ones questioningly. Jem's eyes flashed quickly to Will's general direction, and then it clicked. Jem still didn't know that Will knew about their engagement. Looking quickly away, Jem asked,

"Will? Last night you were saying meaningless things, do you remember? You kept saying, _it wasn't real, _what did you mean?", Will's eyes flashed and he looked down,

"I don't know, I can't remember", _he's lying, _Tessa knew this, she could taste it in the air, and obviously Jem did too. He continued to look at Will with question written all over his face,

"Yes you do, Will. You were obviously very distressed about it too", Jem said this as he was sitting down next to Will, placing a hand on his friend's arm. Will looked like a child caught doing something he shouldn't have been. His eyes looked between Jem and Tessa a few times, wearing a torn expression. Tessa could imagine the mental debate happening in his head. Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Will opened his eyes after a few seconds and looked down at his hands,

"Okay, there's something I've been meaning to tell you, something only Magnus Bane and I know, but I only told him because I needed his help.", taking another few deep breaths, he launched into his story,"when I was young and still living with my parents and sisters, I used to go into my dad's library a lot. One day though, I was looking through his desk drawers when I found one with a false bottom. I opened it, and inside found a box, what I now know to be the Pyxis box. I guess he kept it for Shadwohunter memories, but I didn't know much at all about the Shadowhunter world, so I opened it. Out came a blue demon. It terrified me. The demon said it seeked revenge to my father for being trapped in there for all these years, but it would settle with me. At that moment, my older sister, Ella, ran into te room,", Tessa gasped, for she could see where this was going,"she came in with a stele. She obviously didn't know how to use it properly but she stood between me and the demon nevertheless, brandishing it close to the blue beast. She told his to leave them and not come back, but the demon just laughed at her. She still stood her ground, that's what I loved most about her. She was so fearless and brave. The demon then pointed back at me, it placed a curse on me. That whomever loved me would die, then he pointed at my sister and said _'I'll start with her!', _then turned and vanished. That night, the curse took action, for the next morning, my sister was dead. My parents were heartbroken, and I knew I couldn't let anyone else get hurt because of me, and that's how I ended up here. I thought I'd lost everything." Tessa moved to sit on Will's other side and placed a hand on his bare arm, leaving goosebumps behind on his skin, maybe her hands were cold, "I went to Magnus a short while ago because I needed him to summon that demon, so I could get him to lift the curse on me. Tessa, do you remember tha party when I saw that blue demon and went after it?", Will looked at Tessa with something unreadable in his eyes. Oh, she remembered that night. That was the night of her kiss with Will, before Magnus had interrupted, but he was asking if she remembered what happened later that night. Will had seen one the demons that had attended the party and ran after it, she nodded in response to his question, "Well, that was him, I caught up to him and fought with him, but he bit me and ran away, bu not without leaving one of his teeth in my arm. I went to Magnus and asked him to use the tooth to summon the demon, so he did. It turns out that the demon would have been to weak to cast a curse of such magnitude, so he had made it up. The only reason Ella had died was because he had hit her with his tail,", Will looked back down to his hands, "Ever since the demon 'cursed' me, I've been trying to keep everyone away from me, so they wouldn't love me, I was trying to protect them."

Jem immediately began comforting Will. Tessa was speechless. This was why Will was always so nasty, but never seemed to put his whole heart into it, this was why Will had been so cruel to Gideon and Gabriel's sister, this was why Will had acted as if he didn't like her at all, thought of her as something like a prostitute, until that night. Will was protecting them all by keeping distance, except for Jem. _Jem is my sin, _isn't that what he'd said once? He could let Jem in because he was going to die anyways. This means that Will had loved Tessa since the beginning, he had loved her when she had loved him, but, now that she let herself think about it, Tessa still did love Will.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N- Hey guys, sorry about the gap between chapters, I wrote this one, but then I lost it, so I had to rewrite the whole thing again! So frustrating! But anyways, I was reading over the last chapter I posted and I don't really like how I wrote it, but I won't change it for the time being. Hope you all had a merry christmas and a very happy new year! Please review, Happy Reading!**

Sophie was dressed in her finest day dress. It wasn't as pretty as Mrs. Branwell's, Miss Tessa's or Miss Cecily's, or Miss Jessamine's old ones for a matter of fact, but it would have to do. It was striped blue and yellow downways, the form-fitting top corset and full skirts, almost brushing the fresh grass at her feet, hinting at her feminine figure. The sleeves were short and light, only just covering her slim shoulders.  
She touched the necklace on her neck. Gideon had presented it to her only a few nights ago. Like all his other gifts, she had tried to refuse it, saying she wasn't worth the trouble, but, like all his other gifts, he had insisted until she gratefully accepted. It sure was lovely though. The thin, delicate chain was made of silver, weightless on her skin and making lovely shapes where it touched her collarbones. The pendant was even lovelier still. It was a red diamond, rich in colour, trapped in a frail, elegant cage, which caught the sunlight and threw it back in rainbows. Sophie would never forget the way his strong hands shook as he clasped it on her neck, she'd never forget how surprisingly soft his skin felt against hers, how sweet the kiss he had placed upon her lips.  
Charlotte had kindly offered Sophie an extra day off, so she'd used it to satisfy Gideon's request to have lunch. That's where she was now, in a charming, deserted green park. There was a small fountain in the middle, and ancient trees scattered everywhere.  
Looking up, she saw the man she loved coming towards her, with a straw basket in one hand. He was wearing casual but very handsome attire. Gideon wore beige fitted trousers and a white polo shirt which showed off his wide shoulders and muscular arms.  
It was a very unusually lovely day for London, the sky was clear, only a few white clouds could be seen, the sun shining strongly in the sky, with the cold wind keeping it in balance. But she had to admit, the sky was always a little bluer and the birds always sung a little more sweetly when Gideon roamed her thoughts. The sandy-haired boy reached her, and, before uttering a single word, he bent at the waist, captured her small, feminine hand in his big, strong one, and placed an ever-so-soft kiss right in the middle of it.

"Hello, Sophie", said Gideon. Sophie could only smile, but she could also feel the redness of her face, and, upon touching her cheek with her free hand, felt the heat of her skin. Gideon looked up at her with those big, green eyes, the kind one could never get used to.

"I really do love the way you blush. Your cheeks get red, like apples and then it spreads all the way down your neck to-", and suddenly, Sophie wasn't the only one blushing anymore. Gideon shook his head at the ground and looked back up at the hazel-eyed girl.

"Anyways, I thought we could have ourselves a nice pick-nick, how does that sound?", he asked. There was a hint of worry in his tone, as if she would decline. How could this man still think she did not love him? It should be the other way around. Sophie still sometimes had a hard time believing him when he told her she was beautiful, she would touch her scar and look to the floor, and every time she did, Gideon would tell her he loves that scar, because it's part of her, and now part of him too, and that gave her the smallest sliver of hope that maybe this boy really did love her, a human.

"It sounds wonderful,", she whispered. Sophie wasn't used to people doing things for her, so she was surprised when Gideon began setting up a makeshift table on top of the blanket he had produced, using the straw basket. He had thought to bring water, cups and napkins, and had even gathered sandwiches and green salads for them to eat. He set everything down beautifully, and took Sophie's hand to pull her down until she was sitting on the blanket across from him. This was a hard task considering her skirts.  
Then, Gideon did something unexpected, after what seemed like a moment of thought, he took a deep breath and moved the basket so it was no longer placed between them. He moved a little closer to Sophie and took her hand. She felt a shock run through her bones and settle in her heart, making it beat faster. Gideon was looking into her eyes as if he never wanted to look away, and she to him,

"Sophie, I wanted to ask you something, something I've been wanting to ask you for quite a while now actually,", she loved the way he said her name. It was a whisper on his lips, a lullaby,"before I ask you though, I want you to know that I love you. I truly do. You are a strong, amazing woman and I can't imagine my life without you anymore, ", Gideon's voice shook, he seemed nervous, but Sophie couldn't phathom why. She smiled warmly at him and placed her other hand on his cheek, causing him to lean into it,

"And I you, Gideon", he smiled, the smile that made her heart stop but beat a thousand times faster at the same time,

"So, my love,", Gideon said as he motioned for her to stand, while he kneeled at her feet, still holding her hand, Sophie gasped, he couldn't possibly be doing what she thought he was doing, but she would never forget his next words to her, the words that changed her life forever,  
"Sophie Collins, will you marry me?", she stopped breathing, where his voice had shaken before, it was now even and smooth, his hands were steady, and though his eyes held hope and happiness, they also held doubt for her response, like there could ever be more than one answer,

"Yes, Gideon, yes of course I will!", she said, letting out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. She knelt to his level, throwing her arms around his neck. He put his arms on her waist and kissed her passionately. Before she knew it, they were standing, but she wasn't touching the floor, Gideon had stood, lifting her with him, leaving her feet six inches off the grass.

Gideon set her down with a bright smile and even brighter eyes. He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a beautiful ring. He slid it smoothly on her ring finger, before sofly kissing every finger tip. Sophie couldn't love it more. The band of the ring was thin and gold, and seemed to vine around her finger, making her hand look even more slender than it was, but the diamond in the middle is what took her breath away. It was a large, beautful stone, glittering in the sunlight, so bright, she imagine it would glitter in even the darkest of places. There were tiny precious stones around the centre diamond, intricately carved and detailed to make it look an exquisite flower. It looked natural and perfect, like it had dropped from the sky like a raindrop. She had never seem something so captivating in all her life,

"I hope you're not too upset, normally I would give you my family ring, but I gave that back to my father when I walked away from him, I had this made for you, it's not nearly as beautiful as you are, but I think it really suits you,", this was true, it did suit her, almost as if she had been born with it attached to her finger. Every aspect of her person was staring at her from within the ring itself, making her feel like she could shine just as bright as this diamond and look just as beautiful,

"Gideon, I-I don't know what to say,", she stumbled for the right words to express her happiness,"this is absolutely amazing, it's perfect, more perfect than anything I've ever seen, I'm not upset at all, the word has no meaning for me right now, and I dont think it ever will again,", she looked up at his shining green eyes, rich in colour,"I love you, Gideon", forgetting all propriety and appropriateness, she reached up and kissed him again, more lovingly and intensely than she ever had before, putting every emotion she was feeling into it, there weren't enough words to describe what she was feeling. She felt worth it, she felt whole.  
It could have been ten seconds or ten minutes when they finally broke apart, she didn't know. She placed her chin on his shoulder and stared off into the trees behind him, imagining their future together. She would become a Shadowhunter now, what she'd always wanted, but she'd happily become a dung beetle if it meant she could spend the rest of her life with the green-eyed, sandy-haired, kind-hearted man, her _fiancee, _in her arms.

An odd movement in the trees caught her eye. There seemed to be people walking between the cluster of trees not too far from where they were standing, strange, because last time she'd checked, there had been no-one in the park but her and Gideon. She looked a little closer and felt the blood drain out of her face, because she recognised the movements, she recognised the awkward and almost robotic way in whch those "people" moved. The fact is, they weren't people at all.

"Gideon,", she whispered,"move slowly, you need to look in the trees behind you", at hearing the tone in her voice, the smile instantly slipped from Gideon's face, and he went right into defense mode, he slowly let her go, then turned his body to face behind himself.

"You have got to be joking,", Gideon whispered, "automatons."

The things were walking towards them now, if you could even call it walking, it was more like twitching. But these weren't like the ones that had attacked the Institute on that awful night, they looked considerably more like human men. They had features and proper clothes, no chainsaws or blades instead of arms. But she was all too familiar with their kind, so there was no mistaking what they really were.

"Listen, Sophie,", Gideon leaned his head a little closer to Sophie's to whisper into her ear, "I don't know what's going to happen, but you need to be ready, when I tell you to run, you_ run_, okay? I don't care what is happening, you need to leave without me, Ceryl is in the carriage just outside the park's gates, get help, but get yourselves safely back at the Institute, understand?", Sophie hesitated.  
She'd seen what these creatures could do, what they did to Thomas and Agatha, and she couldn't let that happen to Gideon, not a million years, she frowned at him,"Sophie, you _have _to. No time to argue, run only when I tell you to,", the creatures were very close now, they weren't running, just walking casually, Gideon's voice was low but urgent, he looked at her firmly,"you need to trust me on this", and she did, she trusted him with her life, so, tentatively, she nodded one quick nod.  
The automatons came to a very sinchronized, abrubt stop at about four feet from where Sophie and Gideon were standing, side by side, hands clasped together fiercely. Suddenly, the machine in the middle jerked his hand up and pointed to Sophie's chest,

"We are here to collect her, will you come with us?", his voice was so humanly that it was off-putting, but he was speaking in a complete monotone, like these words had been programmed into him,

"What if she doesn't?", Gideon said, tensing and slowly releasing her hand so he could take a slow, measured step forward, so that he was standing partially in front of Sophie, blocking her from the automatons,

"We will not spare either of your lives, she is replaceable." Sophie felt a shiver go up her spine. Gideon crouched forward, obviously ready, just like he had taught her to do when preparing for a fight, _be ready, on your toes, assess every single movement from the enemy, assume every move is an attack_, he had told he this duing one of their training sessions, thank god for those, because now she knew exactly what to do. In a split second, she measured the distance from where she was to the gate, and ultimately, the carriage, her shoes were comfortable enough to run a short distance, and thankfully, she had brought Jessamine's electrum laced parasol, Charlotte had given this to her not long after Miss Jessamine had left, saying it was for protection. God bless Charlotte branwell. She bent her knees slowly to pick it up, and three horrible things happened simultaniously.  
Her hand came in contact with the parasol, two of the clockwork machines sprung soundlessly towards Gideon, the other two towards her, and Gideon yelled, "_RUN!_".

Sophie watched for a sixteenth of a second as Gideon reached down to his sock and pulled out what looked like a blade, before hurdling himself towards the machines, but she had to do what he had told her to. She hopped up and leaped backwards, the automatons both landing where she had been standing milliseconds earlier. With the parasol still clasped firmly in her hands, she bolted to the park's gates, she could hear matallic clincking behind her and groans, she resisted the urge to look back with much force, she had keep running. But she could sense the machines were much too close behind her, she could never make it, so shehad to think fast.  
With surprising momentum, she dug the foot in front of her into the ground and used her other leg to swing back around, just as one of the automatons was about to grab her. She lifted her arm, and, using her momentum, swung the parasol around and hit the side of the machine's head, taking it right off. The clockwork machine collapsed on the floor, still twitching. The other one was a fair few feet behind her, so, instead of running for the gate which was much too great a distance away, she ran to the thick cluster of trees which was considerably closer.  
She finally reached it and began weaving in and out of trees in an attempt to get away from the loathsome thing behind her. She briefly considered climbing one of the trees, but her skirts would mae it far too difficult, and that's assuming the machine couldn't climb, which she doubted. But, as the creature closed in on her and she turned halway around to look at it, her dress caught on a branch behind her, making her trip over her full skirts.  
She quickly put her forearms in front of her face and tried to absorb the fall in her shoulders like Gideon had taught her. Sophie rolled onto her back and grabbed parasol, but the machine was at her feet. She saw the scene as if it were in slow motion, the automaton fell forward with one arm outsretched towards her face, about to hit her, and she lifted the electrum laced parasol, holding it at her stomach, the tip pointing up towards the sky. The machine, instead of landing on her, landed on the oustreched parasol. It sliced through where its heart should have been with a horrible screeching sound. The automaton stopped falling and got jammed on the parasol, leaving it convulsing from the electrum. She lay there, motionless, before feeling a crushing, sharp blow to her temple. She saw red for a second but then felt nothing, heard nothing and saw nothing but black, endless emptyness.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N- Hi again! So sorry it's been so long but it's really been hectic. My attempts at finding a beta have finally proven successful, and kathleensmiles has come to my rescue. Thank you again to all my reviewers, they really do help a lot, and a huge, special thanks to kathleensmiles, I'm really looking forward to working with you with this story! Okay, Happy Reading guys!**

Sophie felt the crisp pillow and smooth sheets before opening her eyes. Her head was pounding, her muscles sore and her face felt as if she hadn't moved it for days. Slowly opening her eyes, not without effort, she tried to make sense of her surroundings through the fog clouding her vision. Sophie was familiar with this room, she'd attended to people in it many a time. She was in the Institute's infirmary. Her neck hurt as she moved it to the left, but a sigh had alerted her. In the small, white bed next to her, lay Gideon, looking too big for the bed he'd been placed on. Her vision cleared instantly as she gazed upon him. Images of the last time she had seen him flashed in her mind. How happy she had been when he'd proposed, how blissfully they'd kissed, but along with those came other, not so cheerful, memories. The automatons. Sophie faintly remembered killing two of them, but couldn't remember anything after, what had happened?

"Gideon?", her voice scratched her throat as she spoke, making it come out as little more than a whisper, Sophie cleared her throat and tried again,

"Gideon, wake up,", her voice came out much clearer this time. Gideon stirred, causing his sheets to move off his body. Sophie gasped. He had scratches on his face a thick bruise on his jaw. He was shirtless, there were bloody bandages wrapped around his chest and right shoulder. She hadn't known he had so many runes. They covered his chest and arms, they were black and bold, but beautiful. He had scratches on his face and a thick bruise on his jaw.  
Painfully, Sophie slowly swung one leg after another over the bed, righting herself carefully despite her throbbing head. Steadily making her way to where Gideon was sleeping and sitting at the edge of his bed, careful not to jostle him. She touched his cheek and wiped the clammy, sandy-blonde hair off his forehead, then placed a soft kiss right in the middle of it. His eyes fluttered open, and it took a while for the green orbs to adjust,

"Sophie?", he asked, "Oh, Sophie you're okay!", his voice was hoarse but loud, as he sat up, wincing, to kiss her dry lips. She smiled at him,

"I'm fine darling, but what happened to you?", she said, fingering his bandages,

He looked at her for a few seconds, dazed, then shook his head and began to talk, "After I got rid of those two automatons,", he spat the word as if it were a curse. "I went looking for you, you weren't in the carriage which,", he added, "scared me half to death, so I went around the park, you were hard to find,", he stopped to kiss her hand, then lifted it to place it right on his heart, it calmed her to feel the steady pulse under her palm, "When I finally found you, you were unconscious on the ground, in the thickest cluster of trees of the whole park, with one of the disgusting things writhing on top of you. I carried you and that parasol to the carriage, but I think I must have blanked out on the way here, we probably gave Cyril a good fright." Sophie was amazed at how courageous he'd been, where she had panicked and stumbled, he'd been level headed and dauntless. It pleased her to hear him sound whole, even chuckling at the end. Without thinking, she leaned forwards and kissed him.  
He kissed her back, first in shock, but then more fiercely, his hands touching every part of her they could find, as if he could never get enough. The feel of his hands on her skin made Sophie dizzy. The sky outside was dark, she guessed it very late at night, there was not a star to be seen through the clouds, and the freezing air blowing through the window closest to them sent them shivering, but she didn't care, it somehow added thrill. Soon enough, she was lying down on the small bed, Gideon on top of her. Sophie had never felt like this before, passion and strenght were rolling off him in waves, she could never get enough of him, the closer they got, the closer she wanted to be; the warm kisses on her neck, although wonderfully pleasing, weren't enough. They broke apart suddenly, Gideon still on top of her. Sophie felt a stiffness against her thigh, and shivered deliciously as she realised what it was. She wanted him, more than she'd ever wanted anything in her life, and he was looking at her as if he did too.

"Are you sure?", he whispered, he was on the same wavelenght as she. Suddenly, although she had never thought much about this subject, Sophie knew that she wanted to feel him, to be as close as two human beings could get, to belong to the man she never wanted to be without. They weren't married, but they were going to be, and Sophie knew she loved him, more than life itself. She wanted this.

"Yes,", she sighed.

Tessa hesitantly closed the frayed novel that sat in her lap. She was in the vast Institute library, sitting on the comfortable window seat. The brown haired girl rolled her head back to rest on the wall and turned to face outside. The window itself was spotless, not a smudge nor a fingerprint in sight, so it was easy to imagine flying above the green grass outside. She closed her eyes and imagined feeling the cool London fog caressing her skin and blowing her hair as she glided gently through the air. Tessa felt peaceful and calm, but something was missing. She was oddly lonely up in the sky by herself, aching for the warm touch of another person. Tilting her eyes down to the lushiously glossy grass far beneath her, she spotted a figure. It was hard to make out who they were through the fog, but Tessa could tell it was a man by the short hair and wide, muscular shoulders. She couldn't see any colour whatsoever. Not the colour of his clothes or even the shade of his hair. There was something almost, forlorn, about his posture. The stranger was sitting cross legged in the middle of the big stretch of land, head and back tilted down, almost slouching, but it was stiffer than that, head rolled too close to his chin to see his face. Tessa slowly descended through the thin air, her full skirts billowing out around her.  
She sighed as her bare feet came into contact with the desirable grass, it was even softer than she could've imagined. She felt completely weightless as she slowly and gracefully bent her knees to sit on the green grassy pillow, mirroring the posture of the stranger boy sitting right in front of her. He hadn't moved at all. Tessa tried to get a look at his face, but he was almost unreal, as still as he was. She lifted her hand and reached for his chin, and where she thought she might find empty air, or maybe the stone of a statue, she felt his incredibly soft and even translucent, but almost glowing skin. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever felt, the smoothness of this mysterious person's skin was fascinating. Tessa rolled her thumb up to graze his lower lip. They felt like the lips of an angel. They were full and rich red, as if fresh blood would stain her skin where she touched them. She longed to kiss these lips, to feel their softness against her own. As her eyes travelled slowly up the angelic face, she realised this boy was not a stranger at all, but a man she had known for seemingly ever, a man whom she'd loved ever since the first time they'd met, but just hadn't known it.  
She looked into his perfect eyes. They were the infamous blue she'd become familiar with, but which one could never famliarise with. She felt as if this was the first time she'd ever looked into them, and right now, in this foggy weather, and samely foggy state of mind, they held more meaning than they ever had. They were glossy and deep, she could see everything she'd ever wanted in them. Tessa saw the best person she could be when she looked into those endless orbs of sparkling ocean. But the ocean was overflowing. There was too much silvery water to be held. She didn't move, nor make a single sound as one lonesome, shining tear escaped from Will's eye and rolled down his cheek, leaving a trail of beautiful sadness behind, until, finally, it reached his strong chin, and dropped in one smooth, slow motion, to blend in with the delicate, crispy dew on that dreamlike grass between them.  
Tessa felt her daydream slip away, but didn't open her eyes. She lifted her hand to her cheek, and was surprised when she found it to be wet. She'd been crying and hadn't noticed.

Will didn't dare move. A while earlier, the blue-eyed boy had been slowly pacing the Institute library's shelved aisles, with a certain beautiful girl clinging to the edges of his mind. He figured that reading might be able to take his mind off her, so he grabbed a book, any book from the shelf closest to him and started walking to his favourite spot, the window seat in the corner of the library most infrequently visited. Trying to think of something to distract him, he forced the previous night's events to take centre stage in his mind. Cyril had brought Gideon and Sophie back looking like they'd been attacked by a pair of savage wolves. When he'd left the infirmary along with everyone else, neither of them had awoken for any explanations, and Cyril had none to spare either. Will had been dying to know what happened out there and was extremely worried because-  
Tessa.  
The whisper rose to his lips but didn't quite make it out. In front of him, not too far away, was Tessa sitting in his favourite spot, as if he had conjured her out of no-where just by thinking of her. Without knowing why he was doing it, Will lightly stepped behind one of the bookshelves close to him, and stopped to look at her. In that moment, she didn't look real. Nothing so perfect could be real, could it? She sat with a novel in her lap, completely still, except for her fingers which were tracing the edges of the pages, seemingly unconsciously. Before he knew it, Will was sitting on the floor. It was quite an uncomfortable position because he had to make sure she didn't see him, but he wanted to continue looking at her. He couldn't tear his eyes away from Tessa's. They always stunned him, the most subtly beautiful eyes he'd ever seen, the kind that should be made a big deal about, framed in thick, dark eyelases the lenght of his thumbnail. The memory of having those soft lashes brush his own cheekbones as they kissed sent shivers down his back.  
He didn't know how long it had been when Tessa closed the book, but she didn't get up and walk away like he had expected, she just rolled her head back and looked outside. The look on her face should be made into a statue and shared with the world. It could be considered a crime for something so beautiful to be kept in one place.  
It could have been seconds or hours, he didn't know. She hadn't moved, but a sparkle on her cheek had caught his eye. She was crying. This simple fact tore Will's inside's apart. He was overcome with a vicious protectiveness, to destroy and watch burn whatever it was that was making this girl cry. But yet he did not move. Transfixed, he watched the single tear roll down her smooth face and make its suicide drop. He watched as Tessa opened her eyes, and batted her damp eyelashes a few times. He watched as she lifted her long, graceful fingers to her cheek. He stood as she pulled them away, and began to walk as her face changed into an expression of utter surprise. Her face impossibly filled with more suprise when she turned her head towards him, and he shivered as her desirable lips whispered his name, but didn't wait a second longer before taking her delicate face into his strong hands and finally touching those lips with his own, as he'd been aching to do for such a long time.


End file.
